3DS Sales Skyrocket In 2013; Early 2014 Games Dated

Nintendo made a few big announcements for the 3DS today, touting a huge leap in sales for the portable console in 2013 and lining up four games set to release in Q1 2014 to help push those number even further, including a new Yoshi’s Island, Professor Layton and a brand new title, Disney Magical World.

At this point, we’ve all heard how well the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 did in 2013, with Microsoft and Sony’s new home consoles pushing 3 million and 4 million units respectively. Now Nintendo has chimed in, letting everyone know just how well its 3DS is performing, with 2013 figures for game sales up by 45 percent over 2012, and hardware amassing a lifetime sales of more than 11.5 million in the U.S.

In order to keep the chest-beating nice and loud, The Big N also dropped a few more stats concerning the 3DS’ success this past year, saying in a press release that “more great games [will] continue the momentum in 2014.”

For starters, more than 16 million physical and digital 3DS games were sold last year, highlighting how fare the console’s library has come since its first year or so of struggling to keep a steady stream of games available. And Nintendo argues that they’re providing quality as well as quantity these days, with seven of last year’s offerings earning a Metacritic score of 85 or higher, including The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Fire Emblem Awakening, both of which scored in the 90’s.

“Nintendo 3DS is a powerhouse with games and experiences that appeal to all kinds of players,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive VP of sales and marketing. “We’re not slowing down in 2014. With more games featuring fan-favorite franchises on the way, the best days of Nintendo 3DS are still to come.”

Big words, especially considering how many pillar franchises (Pokemon, Zelda, Animal Crossing) had major releases last year. But while games like the new Smash Bros. are still TBD in the ole release date department, Nintendo has bolted official dates onto a handful of 2014 early arrivals, starting with Yoshi’s New Island.

Produced by Takashi Tezuka (the dude behind the original Yoshi’s Island for the SNES, which also happens to be one of my personal all-time favorites), the admittedly lazily titled Yoshi’s New Island will put players back in control of the egg-tossing, tiny-Mario-babysitting green dinosaur as he goes on a brand new adventure. Look for it on March 14th.

Today’s announcements also put in a friendly reminder that Square-Enix’s new RPG, Bravely Default, is due out Feb. 7, while Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy completes that series’ second trilogy on February 28th.

Finally, Nintendo today announced Disney Magical World, a game that lets players customize their own character with Disney gear and help famous Disney character’s solve various problems while tending a garden and running a café. Look for that one to become available to the public at large starting on April 11th.